Canada's Green All Over For St Patrick's Day

On Saturday and Sunday, several St Patrick’s Day parades got underway in Canadian cities despite the rain and cool temperatures in some areas.

In Montreal, thousands of revellers braved the rain and cool weather to celebrate  St Patrick’s Day in style. The St Patrick’s Day Celebration in Montreal is the third largest celebration in North America and the world’s longest consecutively run parade.

The parade began at noon along St Catherine’s Street to St Phillips Square and included pipe bands, and Irish dancers. It was the 186th annual

St Patrick’s Day parade for Montreal.

In Ottawa, Canada’s capital city, St Patrick’s Day Parade got underway  on Saturday. Downtown Ottawa, was a sea of green as hundreds paraded in true Irish style. Hosted by the Irish society, the festivities included a grand Irish party at Lansdowne Park.

St Patrick’s Day  festivities in Toronto got off to a brisk start as the rain stopped just before the Sunday afternoon start. Thousands lined the streets to watch, cheer and enjoy the parade which featured several gull-winged DeLorean sports cars which were made originally in Northern Ireland. It was the 23rd annual St Patrick’s Day  Parade for Toronto.

Newfoundland and Labrador  is the only province in Canada where St Patrick’s Day is an official holiday. Celebrations here extend beyond the usual one day.Celebrations are a combination of religious and  social events including a parade to the Basilica of St. John the Baptist for the St. Patrick Memorial Mass on Monday.

St Patrick’s Day is a celebration of the anniversary of the death of  Saint Patrick, a patron saint of Ireland.